Facade
by Door Is Ajar
Summary: Many see Byakuya Kuchiki as a heartless, stoic man. But when it comes to his sister, his walls crumble; and this fake appearance melts, if only for short snippets of time.
1. Practice

Their swords clashed, and she could feel the strain put on her body, demanding that her knees give way underneath her. Before she relented, the pressure vanished. Not a second later she twisted her body around to be met with the same force once more. He had used shunpo to dart behind her, in an attempt to attack while she remained unaware of his movements.

He obviously did not foresee her anticipating the oncoming attack, as the strength behind the swing was downplayed. However, he increased the pressure once the swords held still against one another, up until the girl's sword began shaking, her body finally showing the exhaustion of an hour's worth of practice.

The two jumped back and paused, swords still pointed and ready to attack.

Byakuya stared at the petite girl in front of him, who was practically gasping for breath, sweat sliding down her face and then dribbling off her chin. He had to admit, he had broken a slight sweat himself. He didn't dare ask if she needed a break. It would certainly hurt her pride, especially with her having held her own so gracefully up to this point.

Instead, his grip tightened on his sword, just as she vanished from his sight with the use of shunpo. Her sword came crashing down above him from the side, and he spun on his heel to counter. While he had expected her to arrive from above- something she had to rely on shunpo for on account of her height- he did not expect her to change before the swords clashed, shunpo at work and setting her above and behind him now.

He was shocked, both by her attack and the lack of his ability to see such a move. This time, when their swords met, she was flung backwards. She flew quickly through the air, mere seconds before she collided with a dense tree.

Byakuya employed shunpo the moment he realized his mistake, darting to the tree now forever with a blasted imprint on its trunk. She let out a moan, her head rolling to the side and eyes opening the slightest to meet her brother's silver ones. With shaky arms, she pushed against the tree to pop herself out of the temporary containment. She dropped to the ground; and he couldn't help but notice how her legs wobbled, daring to give out on her at any moment.

"I-I'm fine." A puff of breath left her, and before she could bring her sword out in front of her to attempt a continuation of the battle, she was forced to stab the ground with it, or else find herself face first down. She let out a muted groan, and she fell to her knees but refused to release the hold on her sword.

"Rukia-"

"I... I said I was fine. Please, Brother..." She hauled herself back to her feet. He couldn't miss the grimace that crossed her features and the held breath in an attempt to remain silent. The sword was pulled from the ground, and she pointed back at Byakuya, demanding the battle continue.

However, his sword remained limp at his side.

"I should apologize to you... Rukia."

Her sword wavered, and then she lowered it.

"I should not have used such excessive force. I was surprised by your last move, and, in an attempt to prevent contact, I let my strength overpower me." He hesitated before continuing. "Such an injury should not be taken lightly. Yet it is also a great feat to remain standing after one. Do you believe you can still walk?"

A barely perceivable unease washed over her. Instead of waiting for a reply, Byakuya stepped closer. With a gentle hand, he reached for her sword and slid it out of her grip before sheathing it in her scabbard. He placed one hand around her back and the other on her stomach. "We must go to Squad Four to get your injuries looked at."

With a nod, she wrapped one arm around his own back and took a cautious step forward. Her legs nearly gave out; but instead of dropping she gripped the material of his haori and pushed on with the next foot, until they were walking at a slow, yet steady, pace.

He would not force a strain upon her body when he could leisurely walk, and he would not force her to submit when she clearly had enough pride to refuse any further aid. He refrained from reaching out on the few instances that her body seemed prone to give up on her. (He wouldn't believe _she_ was the one giving up.) Rugged steps as her feet dragged along the ground and the occasional half-moan as a movement irritated whatever wound her back suffered were the only sounds Byakuya's ears focused on.

Nothing else mattered but his sister's safe arrival to Squad Four, where he would assure that she received the rest and treatment she deserved.

After all, she had just been dealt an unadulterated blow by the Captain of Squad Six and was able to literally walk away from it. No matter his guilt, he would have to find a way to inform Rukia of the sheer strength she possessed. Until then, he could only stand by in silence as she trudged on ahead, pushing past the effects of having taken his hit head-on.

 ** _End_**


	2. Sleep

With all the extra missions her captain had been sending her on, coupled with the late night calls she got from random Hollows, she nearly collapsed once she arrived at the Kuchiki manor. She entered the front in a sort of daze, her eyes and mind scrambling and frying in an attempt to make sense of where she was. (It wasn't _her_ fault the last sleep she got was over nineteen hours ago, and even then it wasn't a good three hour nap.)

She rubbed at her eyes; and when she pulled away, she found her brother standing in front of her. Her mouth fell the slightest bit agape, as if attempting to speak but instead having words fail.

The exhaustion coursing through her veins told her to walk; after all, just a few feet in _some_ direction would lead her to a comfy bed, hopefully her own. Instead she found her mind once again whirling; she wasn't sure which door to the manor she entered through, and she certainly didn't want to end up on the opposite side and have to travel all the way back. She was certain her eyes wouldn't stay open that long.

And then her thoughts, which stayed focused on her directions for mere seconds, traveled back to her brother. She felt embarrassed to have him see her like this.

"I'm sorry, Brother."

It was laced with a certain defeated quality. And while his sister was too tired to notice any physical cues, he was met with a worry that led him to grab her shoulders. With his normal, stoic voice, he spoke.

"When was the last time you slept?"

Her eyes, going wide with a sudden pulse of coherent activity, instantly retracted from his. "I'm fine, Brother. It is nothing to worry about."

He paused a moment. If she had been sleeping regularly, he would not have been met with such avoidance. It further peeked his un-showcased concern. He rephrased the question.

"How long were you out for?"

He felt her shoulders tense. She couldn't avoid this question; not with its strictly work-related tone.

"What time did you leave?"

It was dark outside and had been for a good five hours. At two in the morning, Byakuya couldn't hide that he had been waiting up, partially due to an extra workload from his chaotic lieutenant and more prominently from the realization that he had not seen his sister all day.

"Seven this morning."

He didn't bother to correct her tense, that it was the following day already. He quickly counted the hours, arriving at an unnerving nineteen.

"Before then, what time did your last outings end?"

She took a moment; and he realized it was not majorly due to her complete hesitancy to answer, but because she had to think, the hours having molded and sloshed together to create one elongated mission that never seemed to be complete.

"Earlier this morning, about four."

While she spoke, an arm raised up to her face and rubbed at her eye. A sigh passed her lips, but she refused to succumb to sleep standing up, despite the slight daze her mind refused to jump out of.

When her sight returned to her brother once more, his arms were dropping from her shoulders. However, instead of simply departing as she had assumed, he grabbed for her hand, and gently pulled her along. "Come."

She complied, hesitantly. Her legs refused to truly comply, and she was left to mentally will the limbs to move, the weight carrying a resemblance to cinder blocks, in her opinion. Despite her difficulties, her brother did not rush ahead. He remained more-so to her side, as opposed to walking ahead of her like a guide. His attention remained rooted on her, searching for any other troubles she may have had. Her jelly-like and uncooperative legs were enough to bring worry to the overly calm-and-collected man.

He was lucky she entered the manor where she did; her room was closest to this entrance from most of the others, and, on _stable_ legs, would have taken no more than thirty seconds. Their journey took double the time, if not more; but nevertheless, Byakuya was glad when he was able to pull back her screen door and be greeted by Rukia's already made futon.

Gently, he set her down on the plush material. In a moment, his mind went to her clothes; their appearance was a harsh contrast to the fluffy and welcoming nature of her bed. Releasing her hand, he turned to a dresser in the corner of her room, a pile of more suitable sleeping ware laid atop.

"Rukia-" The clothes already in his hands, he stopped at the sight as he faced his sister once more. Eyes closed, her head hung slightly, Rukia was asleep. While she had been in a noticeable half-asleep state, he hadn't expected her to fall out so suddenly. He returned the materials to the dresser; he would not be waking her simply to change clothes. No matter the amount of blood, sweat, and grime that remained on the clothes she currently wore, she would sleep just as peacefully with the amount of sleep her body desired.

Carefully, placing one hand behind her back and the other on her stomach, he shifted her to lie flat on the bed, her head dipping into the feather-like pillows. His hands then reached for her legs, which he lifted from their dangling position off the side to a straighter position on the bed. He slowly pulled her shoes off and set them at the foot of the bed.

A content sigh passed her lips, and her hands, without a true reason, transferred from her sides to her head and stomach, one palm facing upward and the other downward, respectively. A pause, and then he stepped out of the room. A maid was awake in the opposite room, ending the early morning shift before retiring for bed herself.

"How may I help you, Lord Kuchiki?"

"Keep this house as quiet as possible for the next twenty four hours. If that means that a certain job cannot be fulfilled, leave it unfinished."

"Yes, sir. I will inform the others immediately."

He watched the lady leave with steps filled with purpose, and then found himself pulled back into Rukia's room. Not five minutes had passed since sleep claimed her; and while he desired with his being to refrain from disturbing her, he found himself pulling the forgotten covers from the end of the futon on top of his sister, to the middle of her stomach. If she wished for further coverage, she could always do so herself.

He waited to see if a reaction would spurn from her; and when nothing of the such greeted him, he bent down and pulled a discarded cushion at the foot of the futon to the side. Keeping his movements slow and silent, he sat down at her bedside, watching his sister with a worry that he found solely reserved for her.

 ** _End_**


	3. Candy

It was something that always peeked his interest. He never understood why she would have such a liking to something so bitter, something so... sweet. His lieutenant would be able to explain to him. He brought it up casually, after Renji had said greetings and welcomed him into the sixth division office. The boy then asked about Rukia, whom he hadn't seen in a week due to work.

"Would you know why Rukia enjoys sweets so much?" The same stoic, nearly emotionless face. It was quite difficult for Renji to believe the man had just asked that.

"Why Rukia likes sweets?" Renji mumbled, bringing a hand to his chin in an attempt to decipher the question. "Well... When we lived in Hanging Dog, there really wasn't a lot of excess food around for us kids, so she would usually give hers away," he began.

This caught the captain's attention. Later he would have to address another matter. But sweets were on his mind at the moment, something that Rukia clearly enjoyed for one reason or another.

"There really wasn't a lot of candy in particular... Whenever we got a hold of that, she made sure to give it to one of the younger kids." He stopped to give a slight laugh at his next statement. "She usually left herself eating the more disgusting stuff, all because the little ones wouldn't even touch it." He brought himself down from his flashback and jolted into a question. "Ah- Captain, can I ask what this is about?"

The man peered up from his desk at Renji, who had already mentally decided he would not answer. He returned to his papers and replied, "It is nothing of your concern."

Five on the dot, Byakuya was complete with his day's work, which concerned a recent destruction of buildings due to a certain captain of the eleventh squad behaving like a child. He admitted to himself- and only himself- that he walked home faster than he usually did, meeting one of the servants outside the Kuchiki facility. He faintly requested something of the man, who hastily made his way about the mansion and into a separate room.

He had to wonder why, by ten that night, his little sister had yet to make her way home from the squads. He remained stoic and calm until one, where the usually perfect man began to worry. He sighed, making his way to his feet from his place in the dinning room. He grabbed for a small plastic bag recently placed in Rukia's room and gently hid it in his uniform. He didn't rush to the thirteenth squad. No- he would surely concern someone if he, of all people, were seen running somewhere in the middle of the night. He arrived silently, infiltrating the area. The place seemed deserted- until he noticed a slim filter of light coming from the rims of a closed door.

Of course, he would have to know this room, if he were to know any within this compound. The door slid without a sound, and the sight he beheld brought an emotion he hadn't felt in a while well up inside him. On top a piece of paper, one of that last few in a stack, slept Rukia. At least he knew where she had been the previous two nights, apparently stuck in the same situation.

She had spoken to him concerning this a few nights prior, something pertaining to her captain becoming especially ill and- with the dual third seats remaining with him to fulfill his every whim- her volunteering to take on the extra paperwork for the squad.

He gently placed the small bag of candy onto the desk, careful to prevent the plastic from creating too much noise, and then peeled off his haori. He draped it over her shoulders and proceeded to remove the pen from her grasp and set it onto the table.

With his younger sister yet to stir, he departed.

 ** _End_**


	4. Melt

_[ **Warning** : Spoilers ahead for chapters 569 & 570]_

He found her, huddled in her room with at least three blankets wrapped around herself. Despite that, she still shivered. The sword in front of her caught his attention. It was Sode no Shirayuki, still in Shikai. It appeared to be covered in a thin layer of ice, which would match with the ice that covered the walls, ceiling, and floor of one of the training rooms some doors down; along with the chill that seemed to to flow throughout the manor.

"Rukia."

Her head popped out of the mess of blankets after an initial struggle. Patches of white remained in her hair, and some ice was stuck to her left cheek and underneath her chin.

"Yes, Brother?"

The room itself was not chilled, yet she spoke as though she were in a higher altitude, the cold air seeping the muster out of her voice.

"Why is the training room covered in ice?"

"I was practicing."

The simplicity of it caught his attention (although it was already more than caught by the ice). He stepped closer and looked down at her. The patches in her hair, he realized, were snow- and even as the patches fell off, they did not melt. At least, not yet.

With a steady hand, he reached for her face, bound for the ice on her cheek.

"Don't touch me!"

His hand froze, and his eyes suddenly jumped to meet hers. They were wide and slightly frightened. She diverted her eyes away and drew one of the covers closer around herself. "I haven't... returned to normal yet..."

He paused a moment; and instead of fraying her already-frazzled nerves by coming closer, he stepped back to retrieve another blanket from a closet in her room.

"What were you practicing?" He dropped to one knee to pick up her sword, using the blanket as protection between it and his skin. Even with it, the temperature was still cold to the touch.

"...Bankai."

He paused.

He took a few seconds to let the thought seep in, and then he released her sword and folded the small blanket into his arms. With soft steps, he brought himself in front of Rukia once more.

"Was it successful?"

Her eyes alone rose to his face. She hesitated, and her eyes wandered from his as she began speaking. "I couldn't... I had to stop early. The room was filling with ice and-and I didn't know how much farther it was going to reach. So I stopped before I could see all it could do."

"Did you sustain any injuries?" His voice carried no disappointment; instead it came across rather dull and stoic, just like his usual monotone voice.

"No." A bit of snow dropped from her hair, and she brushed it off her shoulder and away from herself. "Nothing aside from the cold."

"Are you saying you are not supposed to be covered like this?" he spoke, in reference to the snow and ice that was noticeable on her body, which he assumed had covered more before he arrived.

"No, I believe I am..." She trailed off a moment as a shiver went down her spine, and she pulled the blankets tighter around herself. "But I still need to get comfortable with the temperature."

"And what temperature does your Bankai reach?"

Her answer was hesitant, but she replied despite her desire not to. "Approximately -273 degrees Celsius."

There was no immediate reply from her brother. Not until she felt another blanket be placed around her, the warmth of it coming from the hold Byakuya previously had on it.

"Absolute zero. Molecules stop moving, and it is believed that there is no lower temperature." He stood directly in front of her and the mass of blankets. "I assume your body temperature is gradually increasing. What is it at now?"

"10 degrees."

Her body was above the freezing point already.

"For battle, I would recommend speeding up the warming process. However, I do not believe it would be safe to make any rash increases, as a sudden shift can be just as dangerous as keeping the temperature too low for too long."

She stumbled to speak; she did not expect him to be so nonchalant about her actions, let alone what the actions did to her own body. But she took his words to heart; being so cold that it impedes the ability to simply move would be an outrageous disadvantage in battle, especially at the rate she was taking to thaw.

"Thank you, Brother."

* * *

He crumbled, the ice having frozen As Nodt completely and utterly. The cold was slowly leaving her body, but she still felt some strain in her hand, some inconsistency as she worked through the thawing process: her hand cracked.

Her brother's hand reached for her own to cover it, giving heat to the area that seemed to be a different temperature than the rest of her warming body.

"Let it melt slowly, Rukia."

She was getting faster at the process; but just as he had explained before, speeding it up too much could be just as detrimental.

"Take your time."

She could feel her body finally becoming warm, just after she had truly begun to feel the coldness of her Bankai. She would be passed the immobile part of the attack in less than a minute. She let out a sigh and instantly saw her breath in the freezing temperature the area was now shrouded in.

Her brother spoke up again, in spite of the cold he, too, felt. And the swell that followed nearly popped her heart right out of her frozen chest.

 _"That is a breathtaking Bankai."_

 ** _End_**

 _[ **Notice** : The last quotes and battle scene come directly from the manga.]_


	5. Alcohol

_[ **Warning** : Spoilers ahead for Chapter 459 and Episode 354]_

"I'm sorry about this, Captain Kuchiki. Rukia had no intentions of drinking, but it seems like the other squad members tricked her," Ukitake, captain of Squad Thirteen, spoke, a light humor to his apology. "She outright told me she hadn't drunk a single glass, but at that point she was already tripping over her own two feet."

The said girl hung loosely at Captain Ukitake's side, his arm held strongly around her to prevent her from falling in her stupor.

"How much did she drink?" His voice was surprisingly calm, but the elder man knew, it took a certain quality to stay collected like that.

Byakuya's attention fell to Rukia. Her eyes were closed; and he could not get any feel for himself on how drunk she truly felt. "No more than three glasses. I fear her problem is her small stature and weight... As well as her low tolerance level."

Ukitake let out a sigh, and Byakuya's eyes returned to the man. "Again, I'm deeply sorry, Captain Kuchiki. I assure you, this was not Rukia's fault."

* * *

"What is that smell?"

Byakuya walked beside his sister, who he had to hold just as Captain Ukitake did, or else watch her face come in contact with the ground. Her steps were messy, and they scrapped on the ground, instead of being lifted.

"Alcohol."

"Who was drinking?"

A smile wove its way onto his face. It was easy to smell the alcohol on her for himself; but in her half-aware state, not even she realized how utterly close and pungent the smell was, it seemed.

"You were."

"I was not!" She snapped her head to the side to stare at him. "I told them I didn't want any liquor!"

She stepped closer to him in turn with her head movement, as if the only thing determining her direction were the way her head faced. Byakuya stepped to the left a bit, before fixing their walk once more. They carried on in mutual silence for a minute, the only sound being Rukia's sloppy walking.

"Where are we going?"

Her voice had softened, and her attention was once more in front of her.

"To the manor."

"Why?" Her voice held a childish, yet innocent, vibe to it.

"To sleep."

"Hmm..." she hummed. "I wanna sleep in Ichigo's closet..."

He had, in fact, heard of the atrocity. Despite his original disapproval and the initial anger towards Kurosaki, he let the ordeal slide. His sister apparently enjoyed the space; and during her second trip to the home, had brought items to decorate it with.

The two walked on in silence, with Byakuya not responding to Rukia's comment. He did not want to instigate her desire any further. And it seemed as if Rukia herself were feeling particularly unwell; she had gripped her stomach, and her steps had slowed.

Her voice punctuated the silence; a little queasy and frightened sound. "Does my brother know about this?"

Byakuya once more remained mute. He wanted to know the reason behind her voice's tone- and it seemed as if she were almost speaking to herself.

"He can't know. I mean, I didn't even know- but he just can't."

He wasn't sure how she realized she was drunk; and he didn't understand how such a cognitive thought had formed, when she couldn't even tell her brother stood right beside her. What he did realize, however, was the unsettling feeling her tone left in him and how he didn't think he wanted to know more of her inner thoughts.

"I can't disappoint him anymore."

His feet froze.

Rukia remained stilled by his side. His eyes glided to her face, where tears had begun falling. Her Spiritual Pressure suddenly jumped in a moment of cognition, and he knew: her drunken stupor had risen just enough for her to realize who she was speaking to.

With unsteady hands- something Byakuya hadn't experienced in who knows how long- he pulled her head into his chest and began rubbing her back, as muffled sobs shook her petite body. His fingers remained still in her hair while his other hand continued what he hoped was helping to calm Rukia. He and his clothes would surely be transferred the smell of alcohol.

"I'm sorry, Brother..." It was soft, quieted by the material she spoke into. Her arms hesitantly wrapped around him and gripped the material of his haori. "I'm sorry..."

Nothingness passed between them until Byakuya found the ability to speak through his emotions. "Rukia."

He gently pulled her away from him, leaving his hands on her shoulders until she looked up at him. It was evident her tears still desired to flow, but she had halted them to be able to meet her brother's gaze.

"There is nothing to apologize for." His hands left her completely, dropping to his sides. "Your captain has already explained your unwillingness to drink." Byakuya began walking once more, with Rukia following at his side, albeit slightly wobbly. "This party was thrown in your honor, for being promoted to lieutenant. Of course, you already know that I was the one who prevented this from occurring any earlier."

He glanced to his side. He quickly remembered the previous discomfort Rukia showed, and he slowed his steps- just enough to match her already-small step sizes. The manor was in sight, but their steps did not rush.

"Despite you previously not being of a seat number, you have partaken in dangerous battles against powerful opponents. I cannot imagine a person better suited to fill the position Captain Ukitake granted you. Your skills are rivaled by few, those being only the captains and a handful of the other lieutenants.

"I do not believe I could be disappointed in you, even if I were to search for a reason."

They halted at the front of the manor. Byakuya held his gaze steady with Rukia's. He was not an emotional man, at least outwardly. Yet, he couldn't help the swell in his chest at the sight of his younger sister; no matter the lieutenant's badge now wrapped on her arm, he would hold no lower opinion of her without it.

"There is no one who is more proud of you than I."

Her eyes widened instantly, the words sinking in and causing tears to spring to her eyes. In an instant, she threw herself at him.

He was crushed in a hug, and the tears that stained his clothes this time were not of regret and self-loathing- but of surprise, joy, and love.

 ** _End_**

* * *

 _As of 6/25/15, "Facade" is complete. Because this is simply a series of one-shots, tho, I may update this in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read and review!_


	6. Pride

He couldn't believe that at one point, he was willing to let her die.

It made him sick to his stomach, not only the fact that she could have very well died but that he would have allowed it to happen. He hadn't raised a finger in protest. While his mind and heart had fought continuously over the matter, he never once vocalized it to the others of the Soul Society.

The girl, who had woven her way into his heart and had become more than the adopted sister as her label on the certificate decreed, was his pride; and he would go through Hell and back for her. He feared for her safety, and that only rose when she was promoted to lieutenant. Of course, this emotion never played out physically, his face and body always a rigid and emotionless slate.

So if anyone had been around him now, with eyes wider than usual, blood left splattered on his face, and hands shaking like he hasn't experienced in years, they would have thought him to have gone insane.

His mind was whirling, focusing on the insane surplus of blood that coated his hands multiple times and his inability to stop it from pooling out from the body beneath him. His movements only faltered from their erratic attempts as a moan reached his ears.

"Brother...?"

He stilled, along with his breathing, to take in the thought that _she's conscious. At least she's conscious_. Dulled violet eyes struggled to find his, and when they did, she was surprised to find his to be wet with un-shed tears. It was strange, what with her being unable in her state to find any other oddities about him.

"Do not move, Rukia."

The tone was as flat as ever, except this time she could detect warmth in his voice.

His eyes had detached from her own, and he was once again- with unsteady hands- using whatever kido spell he could muster to heal her. Blood pooled around her, stemming from a large slash across her entire abdomen. While that was not the only injury she sustained, it was the one that brought the most worry to Byakuya.

He was surprisingly calmed by the deep, rough, yet constant breathing of his sister. It gave him proof that she was still with him.

He wasn't sure if he could hold himself together if she faded out of consciousness again.

 _When she_ had first fallen, his attention had darted to her; it was hard not to, with her standing not a foot away from him. The enemy had rushed at her beyond a speed he could counter, and he sent her pummeling towards the earth. Blood had sprayed onto his face, and in that moment, he knew she wasn't going to recover before she hit the ground.

He composed himself to fight, but the enemy had vanished. While he shouldn't have been relieved, he was; and the absence granted him ability to shunpo towards her. If he had hesitated in his choice, he wouldn't have been able to catch her, and her body crashed into his own, sending him back a few feet on the air he stood upon. He grunted at the impact; his own injuries were far from insignificant.

Rukia had not fallen unconscious, and he hastily brought them to the ground, with his injured sister struggling to breathe, and he could only imagine the pain she was in. Blood was draining out of her, it seemed, and her eyes were glassy, searching for him.

She was fighting a loosing battle, and just as Byakuya had laid her down to begin treating her with kido, a wave of pain washed over her body, and she tensed. All he could do was watch as she gritted her teeth and rode the unforgiving current; he didn't know if he would call it lucky, but she fell unconscious because of it, and he immediately began using kido _on her._

Now he was using the strongest healing incantation he knew, praying for the bleeding to stop. He was only removed from his thoughts as he felt her hand reach towards her abdomen and cover his own hand. His eyes glided to hers, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were closed, and yet the movement had still brought calmness to him.

He didn't face this feeling of uncertainty and fear and the shakiness that came with such emotions. And for his sister to pick up on this, he knew he must have been acting beyond his control. He returned to focusing on the healing, not bothering to remove her hand. The contact was steadily stilling the nervousness that had caused his hands to shake.

He could faintly pick up a reiatsu heading towards the pair. By his knowledge, he had enough time to stop the bleeding and move Rukia to a safe place before he would be faced with fighting her attacker once more. In that moment, all his nerves ceased to be, and his eyes hardened.

No, he couldn't believe that at one point, he was willing to let her die.

She had become his everything. Everything she accomplished made him proud, not matter the insignificance it truly held. And it struck him and made him feel emotions that he thought he no longer felt when she got injured. The pure anger and the desire to destroy and the _worry_ over her all jumped around in his mind and consumed his heart; and while he didn't show it physically (at least, until this incident, when he watched her get injured and could do _nothing_ to prevent it, despite being _one foot_ away), he could feel the emotions welling up. And to think some unknown man had injured the sole carrier of his pride.

The enemy drew closer, and the Squad Six Captain halted his kido work. He raised himself to stand; he originally desired to move her, place his sister somewhere safe; but he could not bring himself to hurt her by doing so.

Instead, he set his now-emotionless eyes towards the direction of the reiatsu and shunpo-ed towards it.

He would not escape again.

 ** _End_**

 _[11/23/15]_


	7. Bunnies

_[Takes place some time following the conclusion of the anime's The Rescue Arc or approximately chapter 182 of the manga]_

A scream tore from her throat as she suddenly was ripped into consciousness, and a hand rushed to cover her mouth, as if in an effort to retract the unbidden noise. The darkness of the room aided little in removing the final images that plagued her mind and so violently forced her to wake. She frightened herself as a tear dripped onto her hand, and she realized just how fast and heavy her heart was beating. It reverberated throughout her body, and it clouded her ears.

She mentally chided herself and how foolishly she was acting. It was a mere dream that sent her into such a state of panic, and yet her body was unwilling to calm. Her hands shook, her heart pounded, and tears were dripping over her hand and dribbling down her face. She attempted to steady her breathing; it was far too loud for her liking, and all these cues of her weakness to such fiction brought a hatred upon herself. Surely someone such as her brother would never be resorted to such a pathetic state.

She froze at the sound of feet against wood - not running but clearly at an elevated tempo.

Her door slid open rather harshly, and her free hand gripped the blanket beneath it, willing herself to stop displaying such childish and unwarranted behaviors. If anything, she found herself frightened further, and her heart would have leaped from her chest if possible.

Her brother stood at the entrance of her room, a lantern held in one hand. Her Spiritual Pressure - or, more accurately, what little that was currently replenished after being trapped by Sekkiseki walls - shot out, and he couldn't remember a time he could so prominently feel such utter fear. The pressure was extremely small, as just about two weeks free from confinement had given her little time to regain what had been lost to the leech-like attributes of the Shakonmaku; but it was overwhelmingly consumed by fear and he couldn't understand why until he took a step into the room.

"Stay away!"

He froze as his sister shouted at him, fulfilling what little he could.

She gasped at herself, realizing who she was speaking to, and she raised a hand up to her forehead, averting her eyes to the ground.

"I-I apologize, Brother."

Since his sister's failed execution, he had become engulfed in guilt; the thought that he hadn't done a single thing to save her, hadn't shown an inch of leniency because of ridiculous beliefs, wracked him in an indescribable way. The things he had said, especially to Ichigo Kurosaki, made him want to rip out his own tongue. The coldness with which he acted towards Rukia was inhumane, and he wished her to use one of her frigid attacks upon him. It all made him question if he should even be near her, regardless of whatever plagued her.

She had absolutely no reason to apologize, especially to him.

He heard her release a sigh; and while it gave the facade that she was becoming calm, it was only an attempt to even her breathing. He took it as a sign to approach, to try to help what little he could, to potentially right some wrongs (for some could never be forgiven); but with each step near her, he could feel a new wave of fear roll off of her, each more distraught than the last.

He halted once more at the sound of her voice.

"P-Please..."

She didn't need to say more. While one hand remained on her forehead, the other was held out in a weak show for him to stop.

He wasn't sure when he would be able to pull himself from such a deep pit as the one in which he was currently engulfed. He was a noble and stoic man; he had learned how to remain emotionless; and he succeeded, even as his own sister was sentenced to the harshest punishment possible. But now, as the same girl sat in front of him, trembling from sheer fright and remaining as strong as she could will herself to in front of the man who, by the appearance of the situation, was the core reason of her state, guilt burrowed itself into his very veins. She was reduced to this state because of him: he was the root of her fright and the reason she was assaulted by these unrelenting terrors night after night.

Her mind needed time to ease off of whatever she had dreamed about, and it was clear his presence was making that a difficult task.

"Would you like anything, Rukia?"

She looked up at him, her eyes sliding up from the floor to his face.

"What...?" she spoke, soft and uncertain.

"Is there anything I can get for you? Perhaps some water, or I can fetch someone to run a bath."

She stared a few moments, as if questioning if her brother were asking her such a thing. He patiently waited, something he knew would not have happened a few mere months ago. She replied tentatively, barely maintaining eye contact. "N-No, I am all right."

He withheld any further questions, and instead he closed his eyes, nodding his head the slightest. "Very well. If you request anything, do not hesitate to find me." With that, he turned and left, his steps remaining quiet as if padded; and he gently closed her door. As he retreated to his own room, a small sigh escaped.

He didn't think he would truly ever be able to escape such guilt.

* * *

The following morning, his steps were interrupted by the obnoxious crunch of something under his feet. He looked down to find a stray piece of paper. He had already planned to have a word with the cleaning staff, up until he noticed it was a letter. The writing was a little unsteady, which he attributed to a shaky hand at the realization of who wrote the letter.

 _Brother,_

 _I was not feeling well last night, and I did not mean to behave as uncouth as I did. I hope you can overlook my actions. Thank you for your concern last night._

 _-Rukia_

It was obvious she wrote this not long after he departed. The letter was short, and her writing deteriorated the farther he read. Her nerves had not yet calmed, but near her signature was a drawing of two bunnies with distinct features that characterized them as him and Rukia.

A small smile graced his lips. Nevermind the negative aspects of the letter which made it clear that his sister had a certain view of how she behaved (with which Byakuya blatantly disagreed); the caricature that adorned the paper made the letter special in itself: never before would his sister have added such drawings on anything addressed to him, regardless of its informality.

He would ignore the unsuccessfully concealed looks of surprise and confusion on the house staff's face when he requested a small bag of candy to be delivered to Rukia's room, along with a plain envelope that had her name carefully written out on the front. Nevertheless, the request was fulfilled. He simply didn't expect his sister to be asleep come noon, as he returned to the manor for lunch. He started to leave her room, until he noticed that both the bag and the envelope had, in fact, been opened.

A few pieces of the candy were missing, presumably eaten by his sister, and the envelope had been carefully opened with the letter folded neatly underneath.

A weight seemed lifted from his chest. The guilt remained, and he honestly believed it would never fully leave; but in that moment, he felt a swell of happiness.

 _Rukia,_

 _You have no reason to apologize. You actions were far from uncouth and only expected after what you experienced. Your gratitude is unnecessary. If I am to be the brother to you as I hope to become, such is the least I can do._

 _-Byakuya_

By his signature were two bunnies, just as crudely drawn as Rukia's own.

 ** _End_**

 _[Originally written 1/3/17; posted 5/9/17]_


End file.
